this morning on "world news now." the miles of destruction left behind by hurricane irma. simply daunting. the cleanup is under way. millions though still without electricity, living in darkness, many without water. some evacuated residents are making their way back home to communities in shambles. and the dire situation in the caribbean islands, almost completely wiped out as devastation turns to despair. now they're issuing new calls for help. and new this half hour, cleveland rocks. the indians on a roll. >> they won their 20th in a row, setting a league record. see why there's little standing in their way as they

extend the streak in just a few hours. and we get by ♪ with a little help from some of our favorite friends ♪ named justin bieber and oprah and a whole bunch of people. >> you're not friends with any of those people. >> they were on my tv. a highly concentrated collection of stars. reapedi reapeding -- reminding the country of the immense loss in the storm zones. here to check out how the biggest names got star struck backstage on this wednesday, september 13th. ♪ as you stand from abc news, this is "world news now." >> see, we hate what brought all these folks together, you know, the hurricanes. it's terrible, terrible destruction that took place, but, it is so heartwarming to see them all come together there in a room. >> all of those celebrities, all of the networks, also. the aftermath, disasters are never great. but the aftermath, you really see the power of people to come together. >> real unifying at a time the country needed it. and the reason is hurricane

harvey and hurricane irma. and the aftermath. we're really getting a sense, the full extent of its heart wrenching destruction yet to be unveiled. >> 25 percent of the homes in the florida keys where irma made landfall were completely destroyed. basically none were left unscathed. >> the death toll in the u.s. has now climbed to at least 22 with 15 in florida alone. nearly 5 million power customers remain without electricity in florida and georgia. south carolina and as far west as alabama. >> and president trump is heading to the storm zone tomorrow. marci gonzalez has the latest from naples. >> reporter: the start of the long road to recovery covered in sand and seaweed, strewn with wrecked boats. the first evacuees now returning to the florida keys to no power, sewage system or running water. fema saying a quarter of the homes there are destroyed. 65% severely damaged.

>> we're going to start over. >> reporter: while in jacksonville, focussing on saving lives. the city flooded in the wake of hurricane irma. >> none of the places expected what they got. >> reporter: what they got was damage in other parts of florida, the exhausting aftermath of this giant storm. long lines for gas and ice and widespread power outages. >> miserable. i mean, at night we can't sleep. >> reporter: one sign of progress, though, all the major airports here in florida have now reopened. back to you. >> marci, thanks. and the other threat lurking in the atlantic, jose, is not expected to hit the u.s. >> its only impact is expected to be high surf all the way into next week. at one time, jose was forecast to slam caribbean islands already devastated by irma. the situation on those islands very critical at this hour. abc's david wright has the details. >> reporter: on some of the hardest-hit islands in the caribbean, including st. thomas

now giving way to despair. >> water and food. we don't have that. >> reporter: the u.s. military has been scrambling to help stranded americans who faced a long wait. lieutenant colonel humberto has piloted several of the giant c-17s, packed with people. >> when they see the u.s. flag, it's like we're coming home. >> reporter: in some cases, cruise ships have come to the rescue. craig was stuck in st. thomas, hoping to get on a ship chartered by marriott, but his group was turned away. so the ship left with plenty of empty spaces. >> plenty of empty spaces. shut the lights off. left us there to get back. >> reporter: marriott says it wanted to help but its team on the ground was told by dock security they had no authorization to board additional passengers who were not on the manifest. the troops here say that the

americans who needed rescue are now safely out. the focus now turns to the desperate people left behind. david wright, abc news, san juan. >> our thanks to david right there in san juan. but across florida, the largest airports have reopened. and travel is getting back to normal. from miami to jacksonville, irma forced a complete shutdown of commercial air traffic that led to the cancellation of thousands of flights. key west is only open to emergency response flights. >> we have more coverage of irma this hour, including what celebrities are doing to help those in need. all right, we're going to move on right now. the president had a big meeting, a bipartisan dinner. they were talking tax reform. the three democrats invited were heidi heitkamp, joe manchin and joe donnelly, all up for

the president e president easily won. the president stressed the need for tax cuts. they say they still need to see something in writing. and president trump is making it clear that the latest sanctions on north korea aren't tough enough. the sanctions in response to kim jong un's hydrogen bomb test target some of the north's revenue streams, but they don't include a crippling ban on all oil imports and falling short of what the administration is hoping for. >> we think it's just another very small step, not a big deal, i don't know if it has any impact, but certainly, it was nice to get a 15-0 vote, but those sanctions are nothing compared to what ultimately will have to happen. >> the resolution stopped north korea from importing natural gas. and bans its textile exports. even though it was watered down, it still left pressure on

and russia. back here at home, hillary clinton is on a full tour to promote her new book about last year's campaign. she got a warm greeting here in new york city before signing copies of "what happened." clinton accepts blame for what her loss and calls trump a clear and present danger to the country and the world. later today she'll appear on "the view" right here on abc. sarah sanders was asked if president trump was going to read clinton's book. she said she wasn't sure. and then sanders called it "sad", that the last chapter of clinton's life is going to be defined by propping up book sales and false and reckless attacks. seattle mayor ed murray has announced his resignation after a fifth sexual assault allegation was leveled at him. his cousin alleges that i sexually molested him as

child. murray denies the allegations but calls them politically motivated. he says his cousin's allegations stem from bad blood. let's head to cleveland. and to baseball. for those counting, it is 20 straight games that the cleveland indians have won. they got off to a good start. last night against detroit, getting a home run from franc francisco lynn dor in the bottom of the first. >> they went on to win it 2-0. number 20 in a row, ties the american league record which was set by the oakland a's. if they beat the tigers again this afternoon, cleveland would tie the 1935 chicago cubs for the longest continuous streak. >> impressive. jack, best team around? the indians? >> what's that? >> best team around? >> well, no. well, you know, they're trying. don't worry, they're trying. >> we'll have more extensive analysis from jack. but we also have more on big news from apple.

>> the new fleet of iphones have been unveiled, but that's not the only product getting improvement. >> what's up with jim carrey. the bizarre red carpet interview. that went viral after calling the event he was attending meaningless? and he's expressing other regrets, we'll get to that in "the skinny," but first, here's a look at today's forecast. "world news now" weather, brought to you by varidesk.com. to you by varidesk.com.

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a uc berkley police officer is now under investigation after being caught on camera, taking $60 out of the wallet of a hot dog vendor. the officer was writing up the citation against the vendor for selling hot dogs outside a football game without a permit. well, after much anticipation and speculation, the spaceship has launched with apple's first-ever product launch at its new cupertino headquarters, the unveiling of three new iphones. >> impressive technology.

>> no. >> abc's -- okay. well, for you to decide, here's abc's elizabeth hur with the details. >> reporter: the wait finally over for iphone fans. apple first unveiling the new iphone 8 and 8 plus, touting new glass body designs, cameras with new features, including portrait lighting. >> these aren't filters. this is real-time analysis of the light on your subject's face. >> reporter: as well as new motion sensors to support apps made for augmented reality. >> you can use this app to super impose the map on top of the sky as you're looking at it around you. >> reporter: changing the experience even for gamers. >> like you're not just controlling the game. you're in the game. >> reporter: and as expected. apple also introducing wireless charging. the price tag? no big surprises here. the iphone 8 starting at $699, the 8 plus, $799. then came this. >> one more thing.

future of the smartphone, marking ten years since the first iphone was introduced. >> this is iphone x. >> reporter: apple released the iphone x, priced at $999, with a brand-new edge to edge screen, new animated imoges that mimic the user's facial expressions and gone is the home button. >> the iphone x, your iphone is locked until you look at it, and it recognizes you. >> reporter: elizabeth hur, abc news, new york. >> i've always wanted a poop imoji with my face on it. that would be great. is it worth it? >> i don't know. you're the one who gets them right away. i've still got my nokia brick phone. doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo. >> i'll do a payday loan and he'll be able to get it in a couple years. coming up, what nicki minaj must do before getting on stage.

>> and jim carrey gets weird on the red carpet. >> i didn't say anything. >> that's a good tease. "the skinny's" next. on stage. "the skinny's" next. f "mmm fresh" in that washer. with unstopables in-wash scent boosters by downy. and if you want, pour a little more. ah, it's so fresh. and it's going to last from wash to... ...wear for up to 12 weeks. right, freshness for weeks! unstopables by downy. for a fresh too feisty to quit. z2gv6z zi0z

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♪ skinny ♪ so skinny okay, so we have a major overload this morning. normally, when just two of the people you're about to see get together, it is skinny worthy, but this morning, every famous person that you know is all in one place. >> that's right. they came together to benefit the victims of hurricane harvey and irma. george clooney was there, julia roberts, oprah, justin bieber, and that's just to name a few. >> so bieber did not perform. he did pray, though, and he had an interesting look with his aviator glassing and brett michaels bandana. >> beyonce made an appearance on tape saying natural disasters don't discriminate. >> ah, beyonce. >> but it was stevie wonder who kicked things off. >> and anyone who believes that

warming must be blind or unintelligent. lord, please save us all. >> i see what you did, there, stevie. >> blind. >> mm-hm. stevie then went on to perform "lean on me." >> usher and blake shelton also performed. they sang "stand by me." ♪ stand by me ♪ darling darling ♪ stand >> not bad. and darius rucker and demi lovato and brad paisley and cici winans "with a little help from my friends." >> such a great night of such great performances. >> and to bring all of that together literally in the last ten

the stars were also sharing some of the backstage moments. oprah posted this video just 20 minutes before the telethon started. >> you can see the cast. everywhere she pointed there is a huge star, and justin bieber. it's amazing. >> oh. >> i love the biebs, you know that. actress lupita nyong'o posted this along side her a-list friends as well. >> some of the as far as were star struck themselves. next, we turn to jim carrey who has been making headlines for rather candid confessions. at the toronto film festival he admitted that turning down working with director spike jonze on the ace ventura 2 is one of the biggest career mistakes. >> so the pet detective sequel is widely seen to have fallen short of expectations. now carrey has been very open,

interview during fashion week. >> i don't believe in icons. i don't believe in personalities. i believe that peace lies beyond personality, beyond invention of the skies. beyond the red s that you wear on your chest that makes bullets bounce off. i believe it's deeper than that. i believe we're a field of energy dancing for itself. and i don't care. >> hmm. that's just about when the cush hits. so he was there promoting, you know, he's lately been promoting a documentary about andy kaufman who was, shall we say eccentric as well? >> yes, and he was known for the unconventional. so there are thoughts that maybe the unconventional interviews are all an effort to promote the film. >> that was an interesting interview. next to an interesting moment for fashion week that could have ended badly but thankfully did not.

>> nicki minaj, the one thing she likes to do before she goes on stage is eat popeye's. so as part of her rider, which is something many celebrities insist to have as part of their appearance, nicki's is to have popeye's chicken. and it prevented her from performing. >> she arrived there, and they didn't have the popeye's, and she said, you get me my popeye's chicken or i'm not going on. guess what, they got her popeye's. i'm with you, nicki. >> what's in your rider? >> i don't know, but the next time i come in here, there better be popeye's chicken. >> we have green m&ms for you. >> meanwhile, fergie is back. the duchess you already know. that's the name of the song. and it features a

minaj. >> it's on double duchess, 11 years after her first album. >> what do we think, folks? >> i like her voice. the songs are questionable. we'll see how the new ones come out. questionable. we'll see how the new ones come out. it's never much, just what's left after i break a dollar. and i never thought i could get quality life insurance with my spare change. neither did i. until i saw a commercial for the colonial penn program. imagine people our age getting life insurance at such an affordable rate. it's true. if you're 50 to 85, you can get guaranteed acceptance life insurance through the colonial penn program for less than 35 cents a day, just $9.95 a month. there's no medical exam and no health questions. you know, the average cost of a funeral is over $8,300. now that's a big burden to leave your loved ones.

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these plans let you apply all year round. so call today. because now's the perfect time to learn more. go long. we received a call, a report of a person dressed as a clown, carrying a knife. >> i think it's, our society's going to pot. it's just really bad thing. >> police want to make it clear, there is no law against anyone dressing up like a clown and roaming a neighborhood. >> our friends at kabc covering the creepy clowns of bakersfield, california a couple years ago. and it happened in new york city, overseas in the uk. >> that was the stuff that made leo stalwart's career. it was an epidemic that thankfully ended and just when you thought it was safe -- wait, that was "jaws." >> not

we're talking about clowns. >> right, because the wild success of the reboot of "it" has made creepy clowns the it thing again. here's nick watt. >> reporter: the biggest september opening weekend ever. the biggest horror movie opening weekend of all time. >> well, i'm penny-wise. >> reporter: the stephen king adaptation about doubled its projected haul. why? maybe because it's such a scary clown. >> i think why there scary is they're familiar. there's this thing called the uncanny valley, the things that are familiar but are slightly off are offputting. >> reporter: the 1990s mini series of "it", pretty much did for clowns what sharks did for jaws. fed our fear. made worst by bart's

clown bed. >> you can nap yourself to sleep. >> reporter: american horror story, that weird clash of clown sightings last year. dartmouth much d -- pd produced a bizarre psa. >> if you want to act like a clown, we have no problem treating you like one. >> reporter: now this. >> what's that? >> reporter: not everyone's lovin' it. the world clown association telling us, remember that these are all fictional characters. real clowns in no way compare to the horrific images created by special effect makeup artists for hollywood purposes. penny-wise, underneath, a nice-looking swedish actor. lovely on kimmel. >> i never really got into the idea of getting scared. >> me neither. it scares me. >> reporter: but seeing the man behind the makeup doesn't make penny-wise any less awful. nick watt, abc news, los angeles. >> looks like a pretty good movie. >> they're not that scary. >> not that scary. >> no, not at all.

>> not too bad. no. >> where's my kiss!

making news in america this morning, the return to florida the keys after irma. residents are finally getting a look at the damage as rescuers go door-to-door searching for victims who rode out the storm. plus, a recovery in other parts of south florida. gas in short supply and the long lines to get ice. and the chaotic and dangerous situation in the caribbean. a storm nearly wiped out entire islands and now survivors fear they'll be forgotten. we have live team coverage on the recovery after irma. new this morning, cancer death rates falling dramatically. what's getting credit for the decline? and the chain saw wielding nun who is gaining fame after taking matters into her own